Day in the Life Of
by Snidne
Summary: A small peak into the lives of the Main Trio, Kieri, Buwaro and Rhea, if their adventure ended early. Canon until about Page 400. AU.
1. Kieri

_**All Characters and Content belong to the artist 'Chu'**_

_**This work is not meant for monetary purpose and is written entirely for fun.**_

_**Please support Chu by reading her amazing webcomic, Slightly Damned!**_

* * *

**Day in the Life Of...**

The sunrise was perhaps, one of the most beautiful things to be seen by the eyes of man. At least, that was what one Kieri Suizahn thought every time she awoke to see it. It had become something of a habit to the former citizen of Heaven, to watch the sunrise and sunset whenever she could. It tended to remind her that the world she now resided in, Fragaria, could indeed be a great place to live in, and dulled the ache of not being able to see home again. But the angel's thoughts were not focused on such things at the present time. No, instead she was currently putting all her effort into the most difficult, time-consuming, and pain-staking task she could ever have thought possible:

Making pancakes.

Having little experience as it was with Medius lifestyles, especially the concept of cooking, the task was proving to be far more frustrating than previously imagined. She was only glad that she had instructions, provided by what was called a 'cookbook', to help make it easier on which ingredients she needed to actually use. Already though, her clean white undershirt that she normally wore underneath her assigned angelic clothing was stained with flour, a bit of egg white, and some of the batter she was currently mixing in a bowl. She turned to the cookbook again, holding the bowl steady in her arms, and was surprised to find that the batter had the same look and texture that was described in the recipe. _Wow... I'm better at this than I thought..._ She prepared to set it down and follow the next step when...

"Good Morning Snowy!" The call rang loudly nearby, causing Kieri to let out a startled gasp before a _POP!_ sound was heard and Kieri the Angel was no more. Instead was Kieri the Snow Bunny, a small white-furred rabbit with long floppy ears, and a pendant in the shape of a sun around its neck. This was no ordinary ability, but a curse placed upon the angel by the Water Guardian Toski. Kieri tried to reach out and prevent herself from falling but instead of reaching the countertop, the bowl of batter which she had so carefully prepared fell on top of her head, covering the unsuspecting bunny as she fell. Her decent was cut short by a pair of claw-like hands grabbing her in time, as the bowl loudly clashed with the floor.

Her savior was none other than her long-time crush, Buwaro. The fire-demon picked her up and said "Sorry Snowy..." looking sheepish.

"I-it's ok Buwaro... I was just surprised. Good morning." Kieri tried to reassure her friend and object of affection with a smile. It succeeded, with Buwaro giving his own loving smile in return before licking along one of her ears at the stuff covering her. "B-B-Buwaro!? W-w-what are you d-d-doing!?"

"You taste delicious Snowy," Buwaro said happily, as he licked off the batter from her. Kieri blushed heavily at the comment, and the fact that Buwaro was now trying to give her a tongue-bath in order to eat the substance covering her up. Highly curious by nature, though, it couldn't be helped, and it made Buwaro who he was. Kieri wouldn't change that for anything.

"Heh, if Buwaro wasn't Buwaro, I would totally have smacked him upside the head for that comment." Buwaro and Kieri turned to see a small furred creature making its way up to them, Rhea the Jakkai. Curled around the end of her tail was Buwaro's pet rock, Thadius. "Morning you two."

"Good morning Rhea! Good morning Thadius," Buwaro said happily his tail wagging.

"Good morning Rhea..."

"Yeah, yeah... Looks like Kieri could use a bath. Get going, I'll take care of this," Rhea said setting Thadius down on a table and moving to clean up the mess.

"Ok! Come on Snowy, let's get you all nice and clean!"

"R-really, it's ok Buwaro," Kieri said blushing. Even though it was a harmless enough thing, and would be much easier for her to get clean while as a Snow Bunny, Kieri couldn't help but feel that it was something personal, even intimate, about taking a bath with someone else.

Once in the bathroom, Buwaro began to prepare a bath like Rhea taught him. At first it had been a hassle, despite Kieri's reassurances and Rhea's threats, for Buwaro to take a bath. He simply didn't like water. Even heated, past the point where no normal, sane person could handle it, made him feel uneasy. However, the key to it was eventually the bubble-bath, which Rhea enticed him with. After that, it was child's play to have him clean up, but it then became a hassle to get him _out_ of the tub, considering Buwaro wouldn't rest until every last bubble was gone.

Buwaro placed Kieri into the bathtub, before getting some of the bubble-bath and pouring it in. Once a sufficient amount was placed, Buwaro began to lightly rub at Kieri's fur, making sure that his claws wouldn't hurt her. Kieri merely blushed, enjoying the carefulness of Buwaro's touches, feeling the slightly sticky substance being washed away. Once it appeared most of it was gone, Buwaro carefully removed Kieri from the bath, making sure to pop quite a few bubbles in the process, and reached for a towel with his tail. With a look of concentration, he began to dry Kieri's fur until it was all poufy. "All clean Snowy!"

"T-thank you Buwaro..." Kieri said as she concentrated and resumed her human appearance. Her clothing was also cleaned from the impromptu bath, though she couldn't have explained it even if she wanted to. Her pendent was hidden once again, as she held the towel Buwaro used to dry her. "Let's go and see if Rhea needs our help."

The two returned to the kitchen to see Rhea already sitting down and eating some grains from a bowl filled with milk. Similar bowls could be seen for both Kieri and Buwaro as they both took their places at the table. While Buwaro busied himself with the spoon ("Look how shiny it is Thadius!") Rhea spoke to Kieri. "So, what were you doing up so early Kieri? That stuff was pretty messy."

"Oh... I was trying to make pancakes. I thought they would have been good, seeing as I followed the recipe exactly..." She gave a sigh. "I was hoping to surprise you two... you always prepare breakfast for us Rhea, so I thought that I-,"

"Eh, save it. I appreciate the effort though. Might have been interesting to see how it came out though..."

"Pancakes? You mean that stuff that covered Snowy? It was delicious," Buwaro said excitedly, a bit of milk and grains around his mouth. Kieri smiled and blushed at the comment, as Rhea tried to get Buwaro to clean up himself ("Use the napkin idiot! The napkin!"). Kieri and Rhea continued to eat slowly as Buwaro hastily gobbled down every last morsel.

As Buwaro waited for Rhea and Kieri to finish, he eyed his bowl and spoon. Carefully, he picked up the spoon and took a sneak look to Rhea and Thadius. He knew Thadius could keep a secret, and Rhea wasn't looking at him... Carefully he moved the spoon closer to his mouth... "No Buwaro, it's not food," Rhea said without even looking in his direction, already knowing what the fire-demon was trying to do. It seemed no matter how many times she told him, he couldn't get it through his thick skull. Buwaro pouted as he set the spoon down, but sneakily (At least, to him) he picked up the bowl... "No Buwaro, that's not food either," Rhea said, already feeling a headache start to form.

"Aww..." Buwaro set his bowl down only for Kieri to pick it up with hers and took it to the sink. She gave him a small smile at his silly antics and proceeded to wash the dishes. Rhea soon came by with hers, and as Kieri washed, Rhea dried them, using her tail to put them away.

"Ok, well, I need to head into town to pick up supplies for the week... what are you guys going to do," Rhea asked.

"Thadius and I are going to take care of our rock collection," Buwaro said excitedly. It was one of the first things he had done once they had settled down from their journeys, was to build up a new Medius rock collection, seeing as he couldn't exactly go back into the Ring of the Slightly Damned, in order to get his old one. While it was no where nearly as impressive as the one in Hell, where there were almost nothing but rocks, the various rocks he did find were all sorts of cool with different kinds of rocks, rocks with some colors on them, and one that even had moss growing on it that reminded him of his sister's bonsai tree.

"I was going to do some gardening..." Kieri said calmly. Gardening was one of Kieri's favorite pastimes on Medius. A far cry from the way of life she had known growing up as a warrior of Heaven. It gave her a peace of mind to focus on the task and she secretly liked to think that the flowers that bloomed were a reward of itself for her careful work.

"Well alright... Make sure Buwaro doesn't do anything too stupid Kieri. I'll try to be back as soon as I can," Rhea said putting on her jacket. Fall was starting to come quickly, and it was slowly starting to get colder with each passing day, though not nearly enough, apparently, for her winter coat to start growing in. Making sure she had her money with her, Rhea stepped out of the house the unlikely trio called home and headed to town. It wasn't too far off from where they lived, a few hours at most during bad weather, but they couldn't exactly live too closer either seeing as it would be impossible to explain to anyone passing by why there was a Demon, Angel and Jakkai living together.

Most times it worked out though. The town's Trouble Center, which was the trio's main source of income, happily welcomed the 'costumed' Kieri and Buwaro, and it quickly spread around that the duo were not only very helpful, but easily recognizable to anyone which made it much easier to seek help. If anyone saw through the 'disguises', for lack of a better word, no one ever seemed to speak up. Whether it was because they chose to accept it or didn't want to start a panic, the three didn't know, but it made things all the more easier on them.

Kieri breathed the fresh air, as Buwaro happily ran out with Thadius in tow to his rock collection. Kieri smiled at Buwaro's playful antics, before heading to a small water pump. Carefully, she filled a watering can and once it was full, carried it with her to some nearby plants. These plants wouldn't bloom until winter, but she cared for them all the same. Carefully, she began to water them, watching the water flow into the ground around the stems of the flowers to be absorbed. Her mind relaxed and she absently wondered what her family would think if they saw her now. She was sure her parents would never approve of the life-style she had chosen for herself, never mind the fact that she was living in the same house as a demon from Hell. And her brother... well, she wasn't exactly sure WHAT Kazai would think of her choice, but she was sure that he would definitely not be pleased.

It was thoughts like this that reminded her of why she had chosen to settle down with the two of her friends, instead of trying to find her brother. She had always known that her friendship with Buwaro would be looked down upon by her fellow Angels, and if anyone had ever found out her true feelings for the purple-furred demon, it would raise an uproar the likes that Heaven had never seen since the Great War started. But it was only after her encounter with the Seraph called Denevol did the true magnitude of her fears come to light. The battle had left its permanent scar on her thoughts, though it did nothing to hurt the feelings she had for Buwaro. Rather, they seemed to have grown in the aftermath of that fight.

No, the battle between the two of them only heightened the fears for their safety of simply being together. Denevol had outright attacked Buwaro simply because he was a demon. She could not completely fault him for that. Ever since she herself had been a child, the Angels of Heaven have been taught that demons were the bane of all existence, fearsome monsters without conscious, seeking only to destroy all in their path. She had believed that too, until she met Buwaro and his kind nature. And she had learned she was not the only one who had gone against what the Angels of Heaven taught. Darius had been a perfect example of that.

No, what scared her the most was the fact that Denevol had not bothered to listen to her try to defend Buwaro, insisting that he was not like other demons, but also condemned her as well, calling her a traitor to her people. That had struck deep, and it brought a connection between her and the Angel Darius much closer than she realized. But Darius had disappeared from Heaven's watch, and from what she had read of his diary so far, spent the rest of his days living in the Ring of the Slightly Damned, just outside Hell's gates. His diary was the only record that remained of his 'traitorous acts' against Heaven's teachings by raising three orphaned demon children, and since it seemed no one other than her, Buwaro and Rhea knew what was inside, it would remain a secret from all the Angels, possibly until the day she died.

But it would not be so easy for her. She could not openly display to the world her feelings for Buwaro. It would have to be kept a secret from everyone they couldn't trust. And while Kieri wanted to believe she could trust her family to understand, she was not so naive as to think they would. She wanted to believe that unlike the Seraph, her brother would not attack her, but she couldn't fault him for trying to kill Buwaro. It was something that her family had been doing for generations, trained as Demon-Slaying warriors. But she was also uncertain if she could raise her sword against her twin in order to protect the one she loved, and she never wanted to find the answer to that question. It would be easier to stay away rather than risk such a thing.

Kieri gave a grieving sigh. She missed them all terribly, and she was beginning to wonder if Kazai was even still on the continent of Fragaria. But she was determined not to risk either Buwaro's or Rhea's life like that. As painful as it was to be apart from her family, she couldn't bear to think that she might lose Buwaro again as she almost had against the Seraph. Her feelings had grown to that great a length and nothing would change them.

"Snowy! Look what I found!" Kieri looked up from her musings to see Buwaro running up to her, a mound of dirt in his claws. "Look, look! It's some kind of wriggling thing!" He held the dirt pile down and Kieri could see an earthworm poking its head out, moving about as through trying to find an escape. "I found it near my rock collection."

"Oh. It's just an worm, Buwaro..." Buwaro tilted his head in confusion before opening his mouth wide, intending to find out if this 'worm' thing was anything tasty. "N-no! Buwaro, you don't eat them..." Kieri said quickly her hands reaching out to grab his arms and keep him from eating the creature.

"Really? So, what do I do with it then? It's not a rock..."

"You can place it in the garden..." She shifted to left Buwaro place the dirt pile next to a flower. The worm, as if sensing it's freedom, wriggled out and burrowed under the ground, leaving the two to themselves again. Buwaro looked to where the worm had disappeared and them to Kieri before giving her a crushing hug. "B-Buwaro! Um... why are you..."

"Cause I haven't hugged you today yet," Buwaro said happily as Kieri fought down her blush. As Buwaro skipped back to Thadius and his rocks, Kieri began to resume work on her garden, her thoughts much more light-hearted then they were before.

After dinner (Which for Kieri consisted of a salad she had proudly managed to make herself), the angel found herself outside, staring up at the stars. She could feel the restlessness of Buwaro and knew that it would only be a matter of time before they all decided to go 'exploring' more of the world they were a part of. She enjoyed these outings, though sometimes it would be a cause for Rhea to lose her patience with Buwaro's curious nature. Still, it wasn't often that she would look up and have such a clear view of the night sky, so Kieri allowed herself to stay up for awhile longer. Each twinkling star seemed to dance before her eyes.

"It's a nice night," came a voice and Kieri looked to see Rhea sitting next to her, looking up at the stars as well. "It kind of reminds me how me and Ramirez would stay up and look at the stars... even though half the time he fell asleep on me," she chuckled. "So, what are you thinking about?"

Kieri was silent as she pondered her thoughts. "Sometimes it feels... like this isn't real. Like it's all a dream and I never want it to end. I really care about you and Buwaro, and... it just feels..."

"Hey," Rhea interrupted, "you know we won't be going anywhere. And we'd never leave you behind either, of course. It's important to keep emergency food around you know," Rhea finished with a glint in her eyes. Kieri paled a bit from the implication of her curse when Rhea said in a flat tone, "It's a joke. Jeez, you angels are way too uptight... YAHH!"

Rhea's scream was the result of Buwaro dropping Thadius on her tail, while he said, "That's not funny Rhea! I'd never eat Snowy! Yah!" The tables were turned as Rhea tackled Buwaro to the ground knocking him on the head.

"That doesn't mean you get to abuse my tail, moron! Always with the freaking rocks!"

"Hey, don't be mean to Thadius!"

"Please... you two..." Kieri said nervously, mostly unnoticed as the Jakkai and demon began to wrestle on the ground. Kieri sighed, knowing that when they got like this it would be better to just let them tire themselves out. In no time, Buwaro was on his back, with Rhea on top of him, both worn out.

"Ugh... This isn't worth it... I'm going to bed already..." Rhea said yawning before brushing herself off of dirt as she headed in. "Don't stay up too late!"

"Meanie," Buwaro said, sticking his tongue out at the retreating Rhea's back. "Come on Snowy, let's head to bed. Tomorrow is a new day!" Buwaro held out his hand to her which she took, blushing.

"Ok... " She turned up to the sky once more to see a star streaking across the night, before disappearing on the horizon. Smiling, she headed with her love back into the house, feeling more at home than ever before.

* * *

_A.N. - Hello! I wrote this story some time ago for Chu herself to read! Apparently she liked it so I figured I would share it here too. It has been awhile since this was originally written, and I'm keeping to the original to upload. Naturally, I know the story has progressed much, much further, but I had written this around the time of the 400th Page Milestone, so everything up to there is accurate. Everyone Enjoy my twisted thought process!_


	2. Buwaro

**Day in the Life Of...**

Hell, the realm of the sinners and the damned. Here, in what could only be described as a barren wasteland, filled with jagged rocks, dead trees, and pits of lava, was where the demons of the world resided. Gleefully torturing the damned souls sent to them, a wide variety of them could be found. Ranging from the somewhat graceful Water Demons, to the quick-tempered Fire Demons, to the soaring Wind Demons, and the giant Earth Demons. Looking at any one of them and one would be instantly terrorized, fear gripping at a person's heart at the mere thought of what sort of sadistic pleasures they would use to ensure maximum pain and anguish.

Then, there was Buwaro.

The purple-furred Fire Demon lay face down on a bed, snuggled up against a pillow, blissfully dreaming. Compared to just about any other demon in the world, Buwaro was relatively harmless. True, like any Fire Demon, he could breathe fire and was naturally resistant to most fire-based spells. But that was about as close as he could get to his fellow Fire Demon brethren in the aspects of being a demon. Carefree, almost constantly cheerful, it would be hard to find anyone who could see Buwaro as threatening if you got to know him, unless one considered near bone-crushing hugs to be a threat.

Laying next to Buwaro was Kieri the Angel, who was now starting to wake from her own slumber. In the home that was shared by her, Buwaro and their friend Rhea, Rhea had convinced the two to share a bed, mostly because Rhea enjoyed her personal space, something that Buwaro just couldn't seem to understand. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she turned to look at Buwaro, who was now chewing on his pillow. She smiled, wondering what he was dreaming about. From what it looked like, it was something with food.

Rubbing Buwaro's shoulders, Kieri attempted to wake him. "Buwaro wake up, Rhea will get mad if she sees you eating her pillows."

Buwaro opened his eyes, pulling the pillow free of his jaws, noticing that a fair amount of drool was now covering it. "Aww... it wasn't a marshmallow." Though now, fully awake, Buwaro stretched out his arms and legs, giving a great yawn. He turned to face Kieri, feeling the small wings on his back stretch out as well. His two pendants, shaped in a sun and star, hung around his neck visibly over his white undershirt. Seeing his angel friend awake, he reached out and hugged her, his tail wagging behind him in excitement. "Good Morning Snowy!"

"G-good Morning, Buwaro," Kieri stuttered hugging him back. It seemed no matter how much she tried, she couldn't quite break all the habits of being around him, despite the fact they now lived together. She looked to see Rhea's bed empty of the Jakkai, with only Thadius laying on a pillow. "Rhea must already be awake."

"Yay! Time to see Rhea!" Buwaro hopped out of bed, looking about for his black trench coat. Finding it, he slipped it on letting his wings out through the holes available. He tucked his Sun Pendant inside of his coat and out of view, leaving only his Star Pendant out. He walked over to Thadius, picking her up and nuzzling the pet rock. "Good Morning Thadius. Did you have good dreams too?" The rock remained silent, but Buwaro took it for an answer anyway, placing her carefully on top of his head. Kieri, who had gone to the bathroom to change out of her purple nightgown, a gift from both Rhea and Buwaro for her birthday, returned wearing her normal outfit for the day, her white undershirt and blue, loose-fitting pants. "Let's go Snowy," Buwaro said excitingly, balancing Thadius on his head as he carefully made his way off to the kitchen with Kieri in tow for breakfast.

Rhea was already seated at the table, eating some yogurt out of a small cup. "Morning you two," she said off-handedly as she scooped up another spoonful for herself. "There's some for the both of- Gack!"

"Good Morning Rhea," Buwaro said happily, hugging the surprised Jakkai from behind. The surprise action nearly caused her to drop her meal, as she wriggled around attempting to free herself from Buwaro's clutches.

"Let go of me moron! Gack! Buwaro. Need. Air. Stop. Hugging!" When the Fire Demon finally let go, Rhea was gasping for breath, dropped back down on her chair, shooting a venomous look in Buwaro's direction as he sat down to eat. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that? Especially when I'm eating!"

"Umm... I forget," Buwaro said sheepishly as Rhea growled at him. Fortunately for the demon, Rhea thought it was far too early in the morning for her to attempt to literally knock some sense into Buwaro's thick skull. Kieri sat down as well, wisely staying silent at the pair's antics. It sometimes surprised her how the two of them haven't somehow managed to do worse to each other before she met them.

"Ok Buwaro, after breakfast today, we are going to start your lesson," Rhea said, as Buwaro looked up from his meal.

"Ok, Rhea! Thadius and I are going to try hard," Buwaro said confidently. A couple of days out of the week, Rhea and Kieri would assist Buwaro on his self-quest to becoming a better person, a person in his eyes that was worthy of the angel's feelings. While Kieri did not mind, nor did she think that Buwaro was not worthy of anything, she was proud that he decided to try and improve on himself a bit. Rhea and Kieri would help him with learning to read, while Rhea focused on making him stronger and more adapted at using the magic power that was granted to him. Today was a lesson of the former.

Once breakfast for the three was settled and all the dishes washed and put away, the three of them moved to the sitting room. Rhea sat on a chair, with Buwaro seated on the floor before her and Kieri next to him. Rhea was looking through a book in her hands before turning it around and showing Buwaro. "Ok, so this is where we left off. This is the letter, 'J' Buwaro."

The Fire Demon looked closely at the book, taking in the shape of the letter. "Hmm... 'J'. Oh! Like your friend's name Rhea?"

"Um, yeah. Kind of," she said, recalling her human friend Jake who lived in Farun. Although only 'J' was a nickname she gave him, just as he called her 'Snake'. "His name starts with the letter J, so yeah."

"J! J! It's really easy, huh Snowy?"

"Hey, pay attention," Rhea said with a stern look, which caused Buwaro to fidget and face her again. "You need to be able to know how to recognize the letter and-," she said trailing off when she noticed Buwaro talking to his pet rock and no longer paying attention ("J is a funny letter, huh Thadius?"). Rhea used the book in her hand to poke Buwaro in the head causing him to look back up. "I said pay attention! Jeez."

The trio continued the lesson normally, which for them, meant that Buwaro would constantly be distracted talking to Kieri or Thadius, causing Rhea to have to repeat herself, and him asking various questions, about half of which had nothing to do with learning letters. By the time it was lunchtime, Buwaro had learned a total of three new letters. A rather good achievement compared to how the lessons went sometimes.

Rhea was sure she would NEVER wear that shirt again.

* * *

After lunch, Kieri had gone to take care of her flowers, leaving Rhea and Buwaro to their own devices. Buwaro wasn't sure what Rhea was doing, but he sat down before a small stone monument, holding Thadius in his lap, along with a raggedy, old book with a single white feather inside. The book was the journal of Buwaro's foster father, Darius Elexion, the same with the feather inside. They were the last things that remained of him that he knew, his own memories of the Earth Angel long since forgotten. That, and the Star Pendant around his neck. He clutched it tightly, a permanent reminder of his 'condition', and the danger he presented to himself and others should the star ever be removed from around his neck.

Buwaro reached into his trench coat, pulling out the Sun Pendant. Like the Star Pendant, the sun had also belonged to Darius, but Buwaro never saw it as a gift from his father, but rather from his sister Sakido, to whom Darius had originally given it to. He gave a sigh, knowing that he would never see her again, as she had performed the ultimate sacrifice to allow both Rhea and him to escape from the Ring of the Slightly Damned. The Sun Pendant had given Buwaro his small leathery wings that he would normally never have otherwise, and he never took it off, not because it was necessary, but because it was to honor his own sister's wish to treasure it.

The monument Buwaro was in front of was simple, a stone that with the help of Rhea's magic and Kieri's sword, had been shaped into a crude statue of an angel. On the stone angel's chest the name 'Darius' was carved. Upon one wing was the name 'Sakido' and the other, 'Iratu'. Finally underneath them all was his own name, 'Buwaro'. A symbol of the Elexion family.

Buwaro had never known his father, and his sister Sakido was buried in the grave that had been dug originally for Rhea. As for Iratu, Buwaro had no idea what had become of his Earth Demon brother. For a time, Rhea entertained the idea that Iratu may be somewhere in Medius, having come through the strange light that had also brought them here. It certainly explained where the Fire Demon that caused Kieri to become separated from her brother had come from, as well as Lazuli. Occasionally in their trips, Buwaro, Rhea and Kieri would be on alert for any signs of demon activity, particularly Earth Demons as they were giant and hard to miss. Buwaro was hopeful that despite the potential problems with him and Kieri's family, she would be safe to meet his brother as he was raised by an angel and would be the most understanding.

Buwaro breathed deeply. "Hey everyone." Buwaro entertained the idea that by speaking to this statue, somehow his family could hear him, wherever they may now resided. "Today, Rhea and Snowy were teaching me some more stuff. I learned a lot of new letter things! Rhea keeps getting angry though. She hasn't changed much, right Sakido," Buwaro said happily. "Snowy was really nice to me though. She helps me understand things. You would have liked her Sakido. You too dad. I bet there are all sorts of angel stuff you two could talk about." Buwaro thought a bit more, before raising his rock up. "Thadius says hi too! She's always there for me. I think she and Rhea like to do girl stuff though."

His smile faded slightly. "Iratu, I miss you lots. We keep looking, but we can't find you. Would you tell me some stories about dad? I want to know more about him. And, I'm sorry I hurt you too. I didn't mean it." He held up the journal next. "I'm taking good care of this too dad. Snowy reads it to us sometimes." Buwaro smiled again. He always loved listening to Kieri read about how Iratu and Sakido were kids. It was fun to imagine what they might have looked like, since for most of his life he could only remember Sakido being somewhat distant and Iratu being a giant who loved to drink.

"I'm getting stronger too! Watch." He placed Thadius down on the ground and held up his hand before concentrating carefully. He bit his tongue lightly as he focused before a small flame appeared in the palm of his hand. When his concentration went away, the flame did as well, before Buwaro let out an exhilarating breath. "Sometimes it makes my head hurt... But I'm getting better! I'm still not as good as roaring like you Iratu. I don't think I'll ever be as strong as you either. But Snowy says I'm doing good, so I must be getting betterer and betterer!"

For awhile everything was quiet, until a sudden movement caught his attention. Rhea sat next to him, looking at the statue of an angel. Buwaro leaned in and Rhea brought her arm up and gave him a reassuring pat. It was times like these that Rhea seemed, more than ever, the big sister that Buwaro had with Sakido in those final few weeks in Hell before they escaped. Rhea could admit to herself, though perhaps not to many others, that despite all the annoyances she put up with, she would feel a certain kinship with the purple fool that she had come to know. A fulfillment of her own promise to Sakido to watch out for him in the world they were in. "I'm sure they are proud of you," Rhea said.

"Yeah..."

The two sat in silence for a while before Kieri appeared on Buwaro's other side and hugged him as well. Together, the three sat in silence as Buwaro thought of those he had lost, knowingly and unknowingly, and those he had gained. Rhea stood up and broke the silence. "Hey you guys, I could use some help moving some things in the bedroom."

"Ok Rhea," Kieri said calmly getting up as well. Buwaro too stood up and began to dust himself off before picking up Thadius again. As Kieri headed back with Rhea, Buwaro took one last look at the statue.

"OK... I'll come back again. I've still got a lot to tell you." Buwaro smiled, and then for an instant, something seemed to shift in the statue's looks. White hair, dyed yellow at the tips. A yellow uniform, marred with dust and wear. Bandages, partially covering a smiling face. And a golden eye, filled with all the love a father could ever give to his son. The figure seemed ghost-like, faded as if there but not.

A split second later and it was gone.

Buwaro blinked once, then again, but the statue remained the same. He tilted his head in confusion, wondering if what he thought he saw was real. "Hey Buwaro, you coming," came Rhea's shout.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Coming Rhea!" Buwaro turned and headed back into the house, knowing not to keep Rhea waiting for too long. All the while, the statue remained, a permanent testament to one forsaken angel, and the family he bound together.


	3. Rhea

**Day in the Life Of...**

The world is a vast place. Any human could testify to that. And in the vast world of Medius, primary populated by humans, lived a significant number of creatures. Though, from a human standpoint, only one could hold close to the variety of humans and that was the race of the Jakkai. Furred creatures that would be lucky to break three feet in height at most, the Jakkai were secluded in many villages scattered throughout the world over. Though they lived separate from humans, the two races generally got along rather well. Some Jakkai lived among humans in their towns and cities. Jakkai could even adapt to live in a variety of different climates and places.

Even with an Angel and Demon.

Such was the case for one Rhea Snaketail, her surname coming from the longer than average tail that she possessed. Since her death and rebirth, Rhea lived in somewhat quiet seclusion with her two friends, Buwaro Elexion the Fire Demon, and Kieri Suizahn the Angel. The phrase 'quiet seclusion' being relative as though they didn't live in a town, they did live close enough to one in order to gather supplies as needed. Still, for the most part, it was a peaceful existence. Still, that didn't mean that the occasional everyday adventure didn't pop up now and again.

"You've got to be kidding me. How much?"

"My price stands firm."

"No one in their right mind would pay that much."

"I can assure you, miss Jakkai, that it is made from only the highest, finest quality materials that can be found in Fragaria. Surely, the price is more than reasonable for-,"

"It's a damned chair! I don't care what kind of wood it's made of, it's still just a chair!"

Rhea and the shopkeeper stared each other down, neither one willing to break away. In fact, the only reason Rhea had come by to this shop in particular was because of Buwaro.

The Jakkai had always known that sooner or later, something had to give under Buwaro's dense, and often times, infuriating nature. Rhea was only surprised that the chair turned out to be the first thing. It had started that morning at breakfast, when Kieri was attempting to get some ill-placed strawberry jam down to enjoy with her toast. Of course it was just out of her reach, but she was unsure of summoning her wings and using them to fly up in such a cramped space. That was when Buwaro, trying to be the perfect gentleman, offered to get it for her and brought a chair up to get him some added height, claiming it was just like climbing up to visit Sakido back in Hell.

Except cliff walls didn't suddenly just collapse under his weight.

The end result was a broken chair, a jam-covered Buwaro, and a trip into town after Rhea complained to the purple-furred demon for about ten minutes. Currently, the demon and angel were at the Trouble Center, their reputation as the 'costumed duo' that liked to help people ensuring that no one would be suspicious of them. This left Rhea to her own devices, to which she was more than happy about. It gave her time, and the space she needed, to bargain with the shopkeeper.

"I can lower it to this much if you want," the shopkeeper had said, trying to get her to buy.

"That's still a rip-off."

"The quality of the product in question-,"

"It's made of wood and people sit on it. Do you really think I'm concerned in any way about the quality," Rhea deadpanned. Both stared each other down again. It was looking to Rhea that things might start having to turn ugly when the shop's bell rang, signaling the entrance of some new customers.

"Hey Rhea," came the voice of the overly-cheerful Buwaro. He was followed closely by Kieri, who was holding Buwaro's ever-constant pet rock Thadius. Rhea couldn't help but notice that they were holding hands.

"Oh, hey Buwaro," Rhea said, knowing that her illusion of being a completely bad-ass bargain hunter would be shattered soon. She knew she would have to make her move soon in order to close this deal.

"You know each other," the shopkeeper asked, as Buwaro picked up a picture frame. He held it up to his face and started to make a few ridiculous looking faces through it, which caused Kieri to giggle with amusement.

"Uh, yeah..."

"Rhea's my bestest friend ever," Buwaro said happily.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise. Well, then if you two are indeed friends... I seem to recall there is a store discount we can put on certain purchases..." Rhea blinked a few times, and couldn't believe her luck. _Well, what do you know, Buwaro is useful after all..._ she thought to herself. Undoubtedly, it was the duo's reputation that she was riding on, but Rhea would go with it if it meant getting a discount.

"Hey Buwaro, come help me with this!"

"Ok Rhea," Buwaro said as the shopkeeper rang up the total and Rhea paid him. Taking Buwaro's pet rock Thadius from Kieri by her tail, Buwaro lifted up the chair easily.

"Come again," The shopkeeper called after then as Kieri waved goodbye to him for the three of them.

* * *

As they made their way through town, they passed by a few shops and small homes. Buwaro was looking every which way, completely engrossed by his surroundings. No matter how many times they came into town, Buwaro treated it as if it were his first time being there. Rhea could never understand where all his energy came from.

"Um, Rhea?" The Jakkai turned her head to see Kieri. "I was wondering... um, I wanted to buy a new sweater today, and I was hoping that you could help me out with picking one out."

"Really? Well, I guess so... It's not like we have a lot to do today anyway." Kieri smiled, while Buwaro was too busy looking over a toy store to really pay attention to the conversation. "It's not like you needed to ask though. You're a big girl after all."

"I know... but I wanted to make sure that you weren't busy, or-."

"Hey, I understand," Rhea said dismissing it. She knew that Kieri held a certain respect for the Jakkai, admiring her attitude in that Rhea wouldn't hesitate to act on certain issues, barring a few instances. Truth to be told, Rhea had a hunch that Kieri wished she could be a bit more assertive in some aspects of her life, especially those involving a certain purple-furred Fire Demon. "Anyway we should-," but her sentence was stopped, when she noticed that Buwaro was no longer following them, the chair having been left on the ground and Thadius no longer being supported by her tail.

Rhea was instantly off, Kieri picking up the chair as she followed her into a nearby store. Inside were a vast variety of toys for kids to play with. "Great. I can't lose him for a second..."

"Rhea!" Buwaro came bounding from underneath a pile of stuffed animals, holding Thadius with one hand, and in the other... "Hey Rhea, can we buy this? Please, please, please, please, please?" The object in question was a fluffy white plushy in the shape of a bunny. Rhea took hold of it, looking it over.

"This does kind of look like you..."

Kieri looked slightly worrisome that her curse could be comparable to a stuffed bunny, at least until Buwaro took it back and began hugging it tightly. "Yup! It reminds me of Snowy! And Thadius won't be lonely in case I can't play with her. So can we get this? Please?"

"Ok, ok," Rhea said, trying to calm the hyper-active demon down. "Just one thing."

"Ow!"

"Don't go running off by yourself like that again! It's dangerous," Rhea scolded as Buwaro rubbed the spot on his head that she had hit. As the female Jakkai went to pay for the stuffed bunny, Buwaro took the opportunity to give both Kieri and the bunny a hug ("Double Snowy hug!") before introducing the bunny to Thadius. Kieri gave a sigh of acceptance, knowing that Buwaro meant nothing but the fact that the white bunny reminded him of her. And, in her own eyes, it did sort of look like her while in her snow-bunny form.

Once they were back on track, Rhea lead the two of them to the nearest clothing store, where they spent the next few minutes having Kieri try on some sweaters and scarves, hoping to find something to help her keep warm in the upcoming winter. In the end, she chose a green scarf and light blue sweater, with a pair of purple mittens, while Rhea had to force Buwaro out of, and she couldn't believe how he had managed to fit into it in the first place, a pink dress with white, lacy frills all over the cuffs and ends ("It made me feel pretty...").

Glad to finished with their required shopping, Rhea was looking forward to heading back to the house the three of them called home, perhaps even enjoy a nice glass of juice or a cup of tea. Of course, Fate, in the form of a hyper-active, purple-furred fire demon, had other ideas. "Hey Rhea! What's a 'fort-tunes'?"

"Wha-? Where did you hear that?"

"Over there," Buwaro pointed, to a small stand. It consisted of nothing more than an ordinary table with a white cloth draped over it, with a sign next to it that read 'Have your fortunes told here'.

"Those are called 'fortunes'. It's just people faking that they can see the future or something like that. We shouldn't-," but Rhea's explaination was cut short by Buwaro dragging Kieri over to the stand ("B-b-Buwaro! Not so fast!")

Rhea followed the pair, noticing the small stack of cards sitting on the table. The man behind it was wearing a lavender robe and had his hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Hey! Is it true you can see the future," Buwaro asked.

"Ah, a customer! Well, not just the future, but the past and present as well! All can be revealed to you..."

"Yeah no," Rhea said attempting to drag Buwaro back. "No way we are going to fall for this scam."

"Oh? Not interested? It will even be free of charge."

"It probably wouldn't hurt Rhea," Kieri said reasonably. "We might find out something important."

"Ugh. Fine." The man smiled and took the stack of cards, shuffling them around. Every so often he would pull out a card and lay it before one of the trio. He continued to do this randomly, until each of the three had three cards before them.

"Now the lovely Angel first, yes?"

"How did-?"

"Oh," the man said, interrupting Kieri's surprise. "I am a fortune-teller. It would be bad for business if I couldn't at least identify who my clients are. Though I won't speak of it anymore." He pulled up the three cards in front of Kieri and studied the first card intently. "Your past speaks to me. A heavy burden placed on your shoulders. A level of responsibility one so young should not bear." The three looked to each other, nervously. Kieri didn't speak too much about her life in heaven, but from what Rhea could tell, it wasn't the easiest of lifestyles. The man took the card in his other hand and almost instantly, the card shredded itself.

"Whoa!"

"Ah!"

"Wow!"

The fortune-teller smiled and focused on the second card. "The surroundings speak to me. Your heart is conflicted. You are torn between two sets of ideals. Only one can prevail in the end." Once again the card was shredded and he focused on the final card. "Time unveils for me. I see a 'Great Trial' in your future. I see many shadows assisting you, but ultimately your success or failure will depend on you alone."

"What, that's all you can see," Rhea asked skeptically while Kieri looked worried.

"The future is hardly ever certain. Even those as myself can only ever see small glimpses of the future. But, perhaps you would love to be next, miss Jakkai?" He took up Rhea's cards and held them up. "Your past speaks to me. Two hearts were placed. One of selfish desires, another of righteousness. One had weighted heavier on you than the other, and for that you have faced judgment." Rhea shifted slightly, knowing that it was just such 'judgment' that had placed her in the Ring of the Slightly Damned.

"The surroundings speak to me. You have a strong will. Despite your hardships in life, it has not deterred you from remaining true to yourself," he said while holding the second card and held up the third card. "Time unveils for me. I see a looming shadow. You are 'the Hunted' who escaped. The shadow is 'the Hunter'. You should beware." Rhea crossed her arms in doubt. If that was his best, then she had him beat already. The whole Lazuli incident was proof of that.

Then, without warning, a cold chill crept up her spine as a single word penetrated her thoughts. 'Rynn'. _No way... it can't be that._

"Me next, me next," Buwaro shouted cheerfully.

"Yes, yes. You next." He held up the first of Buwaro's cards. "Your pas-," but he stopped midway, a frown appearing on his face. "How odd."

"What, what" Buwaro said excitedly, his tail wagging around.

"It's strange. Your past, all I'm getting is a big blank. It's like there was nothing ever there."

"Aw. " Disappointment was written all over Buwaro's face.

"Nothing at all then," Rhea said, a smirk of victory on her features. _Figures the simpleton would expose the 'supposed psychic'._

"No. Strange, there are very few things that escape my sight. Anyway, let's continue." He held up the second card. "The surroundings speak to me. An innocence is slowly being unfurled. A corruption threatens to tear you, yet there are those who act as 'gates' to control the flow." Rhea and Kieri exchanged glances with one another. "Time unveils for me." Then, without warning, the card in his hand caught fire, everyone falling back as the fortune-teller let go and watched the card shrivel up into nothingness.

"What in Gaia's name just happened," Rhea shouted.

"It wasn't me," Buwaro said, trying to defend himself.

"That... has never happened before. All I saw was some large figure. Nothing else." The man got up and straightened himself. "Sorry about that. But yes, those were your fortunes."

"Oh please," Rhea said as Buwaro helped Kieri up. "I didn't believe any of that for a second."

"Ah well, if you want I can give you a more accurate fortune. If you turn around now, you will become angry."

"What? Why would turning around-," Rhea started as she turned her head. She stopped seeing what was wrong. In Buwaro's haste to see the fortune-teller, they had left everything behind, the chair, Buwaro's stuffed animal, Thadius, and Kieri's new clothes. All of which were currently being stolen by someone. "HEY! Get the Hell away from our stuff," Rhea said charging at the surprised would-be robber who proceeded to try and escape.

"Huh? Oh no! Hold on Thadius and Mini-Snowy! I'll save you," Buwaro said following the Jakkai.

Kieri gave a sigh before pausing a moment to give a short bow. "Excuse us. Thank you for your time!" And with that, she hurried after her friends.

The fortune-teller looked surprised before relaxing. "Ah, what a strange group those three are. But, it should be fun. Fortunes are nice but the future is always best to experience, one step at a time. Perhaps I'll just watch. Just a little more..."

* * *

_A/N: And that's all I got folks! Three chapters, one for each of the Main Trio, was all I wrote. Thanks for reading this far. Did you like? Have fun? Let me know!_


End file.
